Carpet joint and process



Oct. 3, 1950 c. H. MASLANDJE CARPET JOINT AND PROCESS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 24, 1948 INVENTOR d ATTORNEYS Oct. 3, 1950 c. H. MASLANDJI 2,524,456

CARPET JOINT AND PROCESS Filed July 24, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 3, 1950 2,524,456 1 CARPET JOINT AND PROCESS Charles H. Masland, 2n

to C. H. Masland & poration of Pennsylv 1, Sons, Carlisle, Pa., a corania Carlisle, Pa., assignor Application July 24, 1948, Serial No. 40,602

6 Claims. '1

The present invention relates to methods of butt seaming or butt'joining of carpet and to the resulting joined carpet produced.

A purpose of the invention is to avoid the unsightly ridge which has been produced by butt straps employed at the backs of carpet over joints, and to eliminate at the same time difiiculties due to the tendency of the butt straps to catch and tear in sliding the carpet along the floor, and due to the likelihood of excessive wear taking place at the joints because of the ridges produced by the butt straps.

A further purpose is to produce a carpet from several pieces which has entirely uniform thickness at the joints and at other points.

A further purpose is to avoid the difficulty incident to tapering the edges of the butt strap.

A further purpose is to apply a butt strap across the abuttin edges of two pieces of carpet and desirably extending longitudinally of the seam, suitably affixing the butt strap to the backs of the carpet pieces by stitching, cement or both stitching and cement, and then to apply a backing layer such as rubber over the butt strap and over the backs of the pieces of carpet, employing a layer thickness greater than the thickness of the butt strap so that the ultimate thickness of the carpet will be uniform and not thicker at the butt strap.

Further purposes appear in the specification and in the claims.

In the drawings I have chosen to illustrate a few only of the embodiments in which my invention may appear, choosing the forms shown from the standpoints of convenience in illustration, satisfactory operation and clear demon stration of the principles involved.

Figure l is a sectional perspective of a carpet made up of two pieces seamed in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of Figure 1 with various layers broken to illustrate the construction.

Figures 3, 4 and 5 are fragmentary sections across the seam showing the attachment of the butt strap to the pieces of carpet.

Figures 6 and 7 are bottom plan views illustrating the procedure for applying the butt strap and the backing layer.

Describing in illustration but not in limitation and referring to the drawings.

It is common practice to make up carpets of several strips or pieces of carpet which are butt seamed or butt joined.

The joining has in many cases involved the employment of a butt strap which has been stitched or cemented to the backs of the abutting pieces of carpet. Since the butt strap is desirably of sturdy fabric having some appreciable thickness, there has commonly been an abrupt demarcation in the thickness of the finished carpet at the edges of the butt strap. This is undesirable in several respects. In the first place it leads to an unsightly ridge which in a large carpet placed on a very level floor may be markedly visible on the face of the carpet, constantly calling attention to the fact that the carpet is made up of several pieces. In any case the appearance of the back reminds the user of this fact every time the carpet is rolled or unrolled. The ridges incident to the presence of the butt strap often become locations of abnormal wear, since the pile is upwardly raised at such ridges, and in case the abutting edges constitute a raw seam, the carpet is structurally weakened at such points. Thus there is the combination of abnormal wear plus structural weakness in some instances.

Efforts have been made to overcome these difliculties by tapering the thickness of the butt strap at the edges so as to gradually merge the thickened ridge with the adjoining thinner structure. While such steps have been of benefit, they do not avoid the presence of the ridge, the likelihood of abnormal wear and the patchwork appearance of the back of the carpet.

Th present invention is intended particularly to overcome all of these difficulties, including the unsightliness of the back of the carpet, the abnormal wear, and the ridged appearance of the face of the carpet, and to make the thickness of the carpet from the face of the pile to the ultimate back uniform throughout including the locations of the butt strap.

The carpet shown in the drawings comprises two pieces 2|] and 2| which are abutting edge to edge at a seam 22. In accordance with usual practice, the edges of the carpet pieces will be touching or substantially touching at the seam.

Each carpet piece comprises a pile 23 and a backing 24. The pile may be united to'the backing in any of the well known manners, as by weaving, cementing, hooking, or otherwise.

Across the backs of the carpet pieces bridging the joint, and desirably extending longitudinally thereof as shown, is back strap 25 lying against the backs of the carpet pieces and secured thereto in any suitable manner, as for example by stitches 26 (Figure 3), cement 21 (Figure 4) or stitches and cement (Figure 5)..

Where cement is used it may desirably extend up between the abutting edges and joining the abutting edges at 28 (Figures 4 and 5), although it will be understood that this feature is optional. The butt strap may be of any well known butt strapping material suitable for carpet use, typical examples being jute, hemp, cotton, or synthetic fibre, woven or otherwise constructed into a fabric. The butt strap may also be of rubber, synthetic rubber or plastic sheeting such as cellulose acetate, natural rubber or Buna S, with or without cord or fabric base.

On the back of the carpet extending over the area, including the butt straps and the backing Where no butt straps are located, a backing layer 29 is applied having a thickness which is greater than that of the butt strap including its stitching or fastening means, so that the thickness of the finished carpet will be uniform. The backing layer thus has a comparatively thin portion 38 under the butt strap and a thicker portion 3| at other locations. This the ultimate back 32 of the fabric is parallel to the face of the pile and the presence of the backing layer 30 across the butt strap adds to the stiffness and strength of the joint without creating any bulge or ridge at the joint location.

The manner of application of the backing layer will depend upon the particular material used, but as shown in Figures 6 and '7 the procedure will normally include placing of the carpet pieces face down and applying the butt strap as shown in Figure 6, and then spreading the backing layer over the back, as for example by a doctor blade 33 (Figure 7), set at a suitable level above the butt strap so as to create a uniform backing surface on which the butt strap is not visible and does not create a ridge.

The nature of the backing layer will vary with the quality of the carpet and the preference of the manufacturer. While a wide variety of resilient plastics and elastomers may be used such as rubber and synthetic rubber in unaereated form, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinvyl acetate and polyvinyl chloride-acetate, it is best to employ aereated plastics and elastomers such as sponge or foam natural or synthetic rubber, natural or synthetic rubber latex or natural or synthetic rubber latex compound. Where synthetic rubber is mentioned herein it is intended to include .Buna S, Buna N, chloroprene (neoprene) and Thiokol as examples.

It will be understood that the employment and conditions of vulcanizing will depend upon the character of the backing material which is em ployed. The sponge or foam materials (desig- I nated herein as aerated materials), produce a very desirable resiliency in the tread of the carpet, which is an additional advantage of the compartively thick backing layer.

It will be evident that the invention provides a very simple and efiicient way of overcoming the difficulty due to the presence of butt straps, resulting in the production of a carpet which is of improved character and which in many instances may be employed Without the necessity of using cushioning material such as felt under the carpet layer. a

In view of my invention and disclosure variations and modifications to meet individual whim or particular need will doubtless become evident to others skilled in the art, to obtain all or part of the benefits of my invention without copying the process and structure shown, and I, there; fore, claim all such insofar as they fall within the reasonable spirit and scope of my claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The process of butt joining pieces of carpet, which comprises abutting the pieces of carpet to be joined with the backs of both pieces in the same plane, affixing a butt strap to the backs of both pieces of carpet longitudinally of the seam, and coating the backs of both pieces of carpet across the butt strap with a layer of backing material having a thickness greater than the thickness of the butt strap, whereby the ultimate back of the carpet across the seam is parallel with the face.

2. The process of butt joining two pieces of carpet, which comprises abutting the pieces of carpet with the backs of both pieces in the same plane, affixing a butt strap to the backs longi tudinally of the seam and on both sides of the seam, and coating the back of both pieces of carpet across the seam with a layer of rubber having a thickness greater than the thickness of the butt strap.

3. In a carpet, a pair of abutting pieces of carpet having their backs in the same plane, a butt strap extending longitudinally of the abutting edges and secured to both pieces of carpet and a backing layer extending across the backs of both pieces of carpet and across the butt strap, having a thickness greater than the butt strap and having a back of the backing layer parallel with the face of the pieces of carpet.

4. In a carpet, a pair of abutting pieces of carpet, a butt strap extending across the back of both pieces of carpet at the abutting edges and secured to both pieces of carpet and a layer of sponge rubber thicker than the thickness of the butt strap extending over the butt strap and over the backs of the pieces of carpet, and having a back of the layer of sponge rubber which is parallel with the faces of the pieces.

5. In a carpet, a pair of abutting pieces of carpet, a butt strap extending longitudinally of the abutting edges, cement securing the abutting edges to one another and extending between the butt strap and the back of each piece of carpet at the butt strap and a backing layer thicker than the butt strap extending across the entire backs of both pieces of carpet over the butt strap and having a back parallel with the faces of the pieces of carpet.

6. In a carpet, a pair of abutting pieces of carpet, a butt strap extending longitudinally of the abutting edges and stitched to both pieces of carpet and a backing layer thicker than the butt strap extending over the butt strap and over the backs of both pieces of carpet and having a back parallel to the faces of the pieces of carpet.

CHARLES H. MASLAND 2ND.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,030,446 A11en June 25, 1912 1,988,928 Trobridge Jan. 22, 1935 2,209,247 Dildilian July 23, 1940 2,323,269 Young et al June 29, 1943 

